The Poverty Porn of Roma

With its current 96% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing (the overwhelming majority of critics weighing in being from the white male demographic unsurprisingly), many anointing it the best movie of the year, Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar contender Roma has sure been getting a lot of love. Beautifully crafted, the film is based on the director’s own memories of growing up amidst the early ’70s political turmoil of Mexico, in a fairly well off household that employed a beloved maid/nanny named Libo – who the film’s main character Cleo is based on.

Which is also where the tone-deaf difficulties start. For as lovely as this feel-good movie is to look at, I found Cuarón’s cliché-ridden portrayal of his heroine unbearably cringe-worthy to watch.

To read my review visit Global Comment.